Clothes retaining device for washing machine



Oct. 25, 1966 c, G, MORENA 3,280,983

CLOTHES RETAINING DEVICE FOR WASHING MACHINE Filed Dec. 31, 1963INVENTOR.

CARMEN G. MORENA ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,280,983 CLOTHESRETAINING DEVICE FOR WASHING MACHINE Carmen G. Morena, 48 Columbus St.,Providence, R.I. Filed Dec. 31, 1963, Ser. No. 334,774 6 Claims. (Cl.210382) This invention relates to a washing machine and moreparticularly to a device for the retaining of the workload in itsintended position.

In washing machines in which there is a casing enclosing a spin tubwithin the casing which spin tub rotates during the washing operation,the water in the spin tub climbs up the sides of the spin tub and spillsover into the casing from which it drains. However, many times theclothes which are in the spin tub also climb up the sides of the spintub and if these get out of the spin tub into the casing, they will clogthe drain or cause other malfunctioning of the machine.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a retaining devicewhich will stretch over the open upper end of the spin tub so as toprevent the clothes or workload of the washing machine from escaping outof the spin tub with the water which due to centrifugal force does getout of the spin tub.

Another object of this invention is to provide a clothes retainingdevice which will normally contract sufficiently so that the spin tubmay be easily loaded or unloaded with clothes but which when desired maybe drawn into operating position and there held so that the clothescannot get out of the spin tub until the device is released andcontracted.

Another object of this invention is to provide a contractable net-likecover which will permit water to escape out of the spin tub in a normalway but will retain the clothes that are in the spin tub from rising outof the spin tub while the closure is in operative position.

Another object of the invention is to provide some sort of a limit foran expandible and contractable means so that the same cannot be easilydamaged by pulling upon it excessively.

Another object of the invention is to provide the retaining device intwo parts which may be drawn in opposite directions toward each otherand there held in operative position against a force tending to contractthem into open position.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction as will be more fully described andparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevation partly broken away illustrating the casing andspin tub within;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view on a larger scale of the top of the spin tubwith my retaining device in open position, parts of the spin tub beingbroken away;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view, similar to FIG. 2, showing the closuredevice in closed position over the upper end 0f the spin tub;

FIG. 4 is a fragmental view in section illustrating on a larger scalethe connection between the parts;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view similar to FIG. 3 but of a somewhat modifiedshowing;

FIG. 6 is a sectional detail of the modified showing in FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing one of the rings on the bar.

In proceeding with this invention, I have mounted at the upper open endof the spin tub :a track which is here shown as circular and whichfollows the contour of the circular spin tub, this track being mountedjust within the "ice open edge thereof. I have then mounted on thistrack an extendible and collapsible rod, such as a rod made in two partswith one part telescoping into the other, as a cord across this trackand positioned between this bar and the portion of the track which itspans, a net-like closure connecting the net to the bar and also twodevices which slide along the track, and additionally I provided somesort of resilient means such as elastic cord or the like which will tendto contract the net and the bar unless held in extended or stretchedposition. Two of such bars are provided adjacent opposite sides of theopen upper end of the spin tub so that when these bars are drawntogether, the net will substantially cover the entire open end of thespin tub and although a liquid may be spun out of the tub the clotheswhich are being washed in the tub cannot be ejected from the tub by thespinning action and thus are maintained in the tub where it is desiredthey should be maintained.

With reference to the drawings, 10 designates an outer casing withinwhich there is located a spin tub 11 having an open end 12. A drain 13extends from the outer casing to waste. Within this spin tub there islocated the agitator and some pump for water all as in a generally knownmanner.

The sidewall 18 of the spin tub has an inwardly extending flange 19 atits upper open end and within this flange adjacent the upper open end, Imount a track 20 which is seen more particularly in section in FIG. 4and is of generally I shape in cross section having a web portion 21with upper flanges 22 and lower flanges 23. This track conforms to theshape of the tub 11 and here is circular and is supported at the arch ofa groove formed just below the upper open end of the tub by four screws24 threaded through the track 21 and engaging the inner surface of thegroove from which the lip 19 extends. These screws 24 also serve tocenter the track within the spin tub.

A bar designated generally 25 comprises two parts 26 and 27 which inthis particular instance are tubes telescoping one within the other sothat they may be expanded or contnacted lengthwise and this bar 25extends as a cord across the circular track 20. Each end of the bar isequipped with a ferrule 28 (FIG. 4) having an eye 29 at an end thereof.A bail has two legs 30 and 32 extending from a bridging portion 33 withthe leg 32 passing through the eye 29 to attach it thereto. The legs 30and 32 are turned inwardly as at 33 and 34 so as to provide axles forrollers 35 and 36 which rest upon the flanges 23 of the track and areheld in this position by the bail. Thus each end of the bar 25 isanti-frictionally supported and guided by the track and the bar maycontract or expand in length as it is moved toward and from the centerof the circular track. Additional bails 40, 41 and 42 are positioned onthe track between the end of the bar and a support 24 as shown in FIG. 2and similarly other bail-like members 40', 41 and 42' are shown on thetrack between the other end of the bar and the same support 24. Thesesix bails 40, 41, 42, 40', 41', 42' serve as a means of connection andmounting for a net-like closure 45 formed of strands as seen in FIG. 4tied or knotted into net form as at 47 and are suitably connected atequally spaced points to the bails 40, 41, 42, 42', 41', 40 by some sortof a tying device. The net is attached to bar 25 by rings 49 of a sizeto slide freely along the rod at its largest diameter. There issufiicient of this net structure so that the bar 25 when this net isattached along an edge to the bar may be drawn out from the positionshown in FIG. 2 to the position shown in FIG. 3 where it willsubstantially cover one-half of the open upper end of the tub and whenin this position will be stretched substantially horizontally. There isa similar closure for one-half of the open end of the tub diametricallyopposite as seen in FIG. 2 which may be similarly drawn toward thecenter of the tub and there a resilient clip 48 may be attached to oneof the bars and having the resilient snap connection with the other ofthe bars so as to hold the bars in the closed position shown in FIG. 3.

The bars will not stay in the closed position shown in FIG. 3 howeverunless these clips 48 are secured in place as there is provided elasticcords 50 which are attached as at 5 1 to each of the bails 40, 41, 42,40, 41', 42 which when the closure is in extended or closed position areunder substantial tension tending to pull the ends of the bars along thecurved tracks and thus cause them to move into contracted position withone part over-lying the other part a greater extent, the contractionbeing such that the bars will contract from the position shown in FIG. 3to the position shown in FIG. 2 under such elastic action. However, inorder that the bars may not be moved closed beyond a certain limitedextent, a chain 53 is also attached to each of the bails 40, 41, 42,40', 41', 42' so that when the limit of the chain is reached such asshown in FIG. 3 no further extension may be had. This elastic actionthus causes the bar 25 or its two parts 26 and 27 to move intocontracted position when released by disconnection of the clips 48.

In the modified form shown in FIG. 5, the track 20 is substantially thesame as shown in the previous figures; however, in this case, instead ofproviding roller supports for the bail a different form of bail 55 isprovided which is generally C shaped and embraces one of the flangeswhich in this case is shown as the lower flange 23 of the track 20 andattached directly to this C formation slide 56 there is an extendibleand contractable net 57 made of elastic strands such as rubber coveredwith cotton which is secured at its crossing points 58 by some sort of aknotted formation known in net forming. In this case, the limiting chainis not shown but may be utilized for limiting the extension of the net,however, because of its inherent elasticity there will be no need toprovide additional elastic cords such as shown at 50 in the abovedescribed form of the invention. However, clips will be needed to holdthe parts in closed position such as 48 heretofore referred to.

The ring 49 may have small rings 60 at intervals about the roll on thebar 26 or 27 as moved therealong in an anti-friction manner for ease ofsliding the net along the bar.

I claim:

1. In a washing machine or the like, a casing, a spin tub in said casinghaving an open upper end, a cover for said open upper end of said tubcomprising a generally circular track supported by the upper edge ofsaid tub, a pair of extendible and contractable bars each extending as achord across said track and each having two parts with their outer ends.guided by said track and their inner ends slidably guided in overlappingrelation one with reference to the other, flexible closure 4 meanshaving an edge attached to each of said bars and with the opposite edgeattached to said track and guided thereby.

2. In a washing machine as in claim 1 wherein elastic means areincorporated in said closure means tending to contract said closure, andmeans for maintaining the closure means in closed position during theoperation of the machine.

3. In a washing machine as in claim 1 wherein elastic means areincorporated in said closure means tending to contract said closure andto contract said bars, means to limit the expansion of said elasticmeans, and means for maintaining the closure means in closed positionduring the operation of the machine.

4. In a washing machine as in claim 1 wherein said closure means is anet-like structure.

5. In a washing machine or the like, a casing, a spin. tub in saidcasing having an open upper end, a cover for said open upper end of saidtub comprising a generally circular track supported by the upper edge ofsaid tub, a pair of extendible and contractable bars each extending as achord across said circular track and each having two parts with theirouter ends slidably supported and guided by said track and their innerends slidably guided one from the other in overlapping relation one withreference to the other, a pair of flexible closure means each having oneedge attached to one of said bars and with the opposite edge slidablyguided by said track, means to contract said closure and said bars, and

means to clip said bars together in adjacency to stretch said closureacross the open end of said tub.

6. In a washing machine or the like, a casing, a spin .tub in saidcasing having an open upper end, a cover for said open upper end of saidtub comprising a generally circular track supported by the upper edge ofsaid tub, net-like flexible closure means contractable radially andperipherally, means slidably attaching the peripheral edge of saidclosure means to said track to be guided thereby, said closure meansbeing sl-idable along said track for extension and contraction to atleast partially cover the open upper end of said tub when extended.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,299,866 4/1919Smith 2110-380 X 1,595,980 8/1926 Dunbar et a1 210-380 X 2,179,43611/1939 Smith 21078- X 2,759,609 8/ll956 Williams 210-380 X 2,956,68410/1960 Johnston et a1. 68-23 X 3,013,424 12/ 1961 Sophiea 68--23 XFOREIGN PATENTS 916,845 1/4963 Great Britain.

REUBEN FRIEDMAN, Primary Examiner.

J. DE CESARE, Assistant Examiner,

1. IN A WASHING MACHINE OR THE LIKE, A CASING, A SPIN TUB IN SAID CASINGHAVING AN OPEN UPPER END, A COVER FOR SAID OPEN UPPER END OF SAID TUBCOMPRISING A GENERALLY CIRCULAR TRACK SUPPORTED BY THE UPPER EDGE OFSAID TUB, A PAIR OF EXTENDIBLE AND CONTRACTABLE BARS EACH EXTENDING AS ACHORD ACROSS SAID TRACK AND EACH HAVING TO PARTS WITH THEIR OUTER ENDSGUIDED BY SAID STRACK